Eight Weeks Postpartum

Please Note: Currently 10 weeks, but with this post, I will be caught up with postpartum updates!

Oh my god, I’m the mother of a 2-month-old. The last eight weeks seriously just disappeared. People do not kid, it flies by so quickly, and yet sometimes so so slowly. I’m honestly excited as the days pass though and she’s showing so much more personality and feedback. I can only imagine what’s swirling around in that little head of hers sometimes. A few of our recent victories with Kaitlan:

She is sleeping in the Rock n’ Play. Still mostly nights with/on us, but napping is down solid. So thankful for those things, seriously saved us (which is why we now have two of them).Rock n’ Play. Still mostly nights with/on us, but napping is down solid, and better overall. So thankful for those things, seriously saved us (which is why we now have two of them).

She is willing to spend time on her back during play! Most people complain of tummy time being a nightmare, but with our nugget it’s back time. I think I contribute this largely to a lessened startle reflex and better vision.

I’m pumping 4-5 bottles/day consistently throughout the week at work. This has taken a lot of work and focus (and well-timed beer), but we’re getting somewhere.

Kaitlan has blessed us with social smiles, which I assure you are totally different then the pooping and gas smiles, though equally adorable. She also vocalizes a lot more and her sounds are getting more varied.

We are almost consistently down to one wake-up a night. She wakes up at 5am, but as that’s when I have to get up for work, I’m not counting it. Now if only we could get the bed time down — hopefully that gets better this month.

Neil has cemented his status as central babywearer. He can wrap her in our Wrapsody Stretch Hybrid like a pro, and she honestly enjoys his chest more than mine (when it comes to non-feeding recreation). We just picked up a Little Frog ring sling to add to our collection of ways to fashionably wear our Beeb around.

I’m going to continue to write these little victories, more for me than you, because reading back over them makes me realize how much things change in the span of a month. And now on to what things look like at eight weeks postpartum.

Physical Recovery

I crossed over the 6-week threshold and received a gold star from my doctor. While it takes quite a bit of time to fully recover from birth (they say a year-ish), things are definitely healing nicely, which was such a relief to hear when your body still feels foreign at times.

Feet are way too close together…woops!

After my 6-week appointment, I started incorporating light barbells and weights into workouts and focusing on adding one weighted movement a week. My methodology for postpartum CrossFit is to essentially break my postpartum into trimesters and slowly back out of my scales beginning at the weights I used during third trimester, adding weight and movements on a very relaxed timeline.

I still have it in mind to hopefully be “back” at 6 months postpartum, but pace is entirely dictated by how I feel and how it affects milk production for Kaitlan, so we’ll see. It’s definitely a road wrought with both physical and mental hurdles deserving of its own post.

Regardless, I really need to start filming my training more. It’s one of my biggest regrets about pregnancy, aside from not eating more donuts.

Weight Loss

Still the same, if not a little higher, which is a relief. Feel some good muscle coming back on. However, my baby is making major gainz, check out her legs! Seriously can’t handle it.

Rolls on her chin, ankles and wrists. The power of milk…

How I’m feeling mentally

I feel as if I’m coming out of the newborn cave. That first month is rough. There is no routine, very little sleep, and you’re constantly throwing whatever you think will work at things that feel out of your control, hoping something will stick. It’s hard (or at least it was for me) to really breathe when life literally feels that minute to minute. And while it doesn’t completely disappear by 8 weeks, I feel as if life is becoming a little more predictable, or at the very least we’re becoming the Macgyver of her quirks. Most notably:

Gas is the enemy of happiness

Don’t change the diaper when you feel the first squirt

Always have something under her when you’re changing her — there’s a good chance you’re going to get peed on

Burp after every ounce or more

Put her down when she is drowsy, but not asleep

Feed, change, play, sleep — always in that order

When all else fails, wear the baby

People keep telling us that 3 months will be a major turning point in parenting and her development. She has grown so much in just the last two weeks, I can’t begin to wrap my brain around what’s in store for us, especially since it will be right around the start of the holiday season. I feel like she’s capable of knowing if we’re doing a good job or not, which I know is crazy. It’s just the way she looks at us sometimes, like “come on guys, you can’t really be this clueless, can you?” I swear if she could figure out an eye roll, she would.

I feel like she’s capable of knowing if we’re doing a good job or not, which I know is crazy. It’s just the way she looks at us sometimes, like “come on guys, you can’t really be this clueless, can you?” I swear if she could figure out an eye roll, she would.

Completely random and somewhat off-topic thoughts…

It’s been interesting to watch other bloggers who delivered around the time I did go through these milestones alongside us and see how parenthood is treating them vs us. I feel pretty middle-of-the-road when it comes to how I approach parenting and how it’s changed us. I know comparison is the thief of joy, but some seem so much more affected by returning to work and other activities than I have been. They are devastated to leave their baby, or they haven’t returned to the gym or other personal hobbies because they can’t bear to be away. I can’t help but think maybe I’m in denial about something or a complete heartless asshole. I definitely miss her when I’m not with her, but I’m not crying in my car or cancelling my gym membership.

Likewise, people’s attitudes toward new mothers online seem less than forgiving if the mother shows any excitement about returning to work or other activities, as if it somehow means they are less maternal or in love with their child. Yes, I read GOMI.

So that’s the huge unpacking of just a few of the things going on around here!